Device for opening, closing, and locking sliding doors.



PATENTED FEB. 12, l90= 7.-"

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J.P.0ONNELL. DEVICE FOR OPENING, CLOSING, AND LOCKING SLIDING 9003s.

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PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

J. F. OONNELL. DEVICE FOR, OPENING, CLOSING, AND LOOKING SLIDING DOORS.

APPLIGATION FILED APR.Z. 1906.

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1H: NORRIS PETERS 50., \VIISHINGI'UN, n. c.

JOHN FRANCIS CONNELL, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DEVICE FOR OPENING, CLOSING, AND LOCKING SLIDING DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application filed April 2, 1906. $erial No. 309,503.

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FRANors CON- NELL, of the city of Los Angeles,in the county of Los Angeles. in the State of California, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Opening, Closing, andLocking Doors, (my said device being more especially applicable to thedoors of elevator-shafts and other inclosures,) of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description or specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figuresmarked thereon.

In Letters Patent previously granted to me, the said John FrancisConnell, numbered 760,780, dated May 24, 1904,'the device comprisedunder the Letters Patent has its operative parts connected together bymeans of bolts or rivets and pivotal connections, which, as shown in thedrawings and de scribed in the specification of the aforesaid LettersPatent, are not either capable of adjustment or adapted for taking upany slackness in the joints of said parts, which from time to timenaturally results from practical wear and tear in the use of the device,nor is there provision in the operating-lever and link of the saiddevice for maintaining the operating-lever and link rigidly stiff andhorizontal by interlocking of the said lever and the link when the leverand link are in the horizontal position.

My present improvement has for its object to provide adjustable pivotalconnections for the aforesaid movable link and lever and theirconnections, by which their mobility is capable of adjustmentcorresponding with the wear and tear of the joints themselves, also toprovide an interlocking of the said lever and link, so that they aremaintained rigidly stiff and keep the door locked when the lever andlink are horizontal.

My invention has also for its object to enable the adjacent edge of thesliding door in the elevator inclosure to be brought much nearer to thecorner of the inclosure. whereinto and toward which corner the doorslides when the door is opened than is possible by or with the springconnection projecting from the corner of the inclosure and of the kinddescribed in the specification and shown in the drawings of my aforesaidLetters Patent.

Upon the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of oneside of the interior of an elevator inclosure at the part where one ofthe opening and closing doors, corre sponding to one of the floors of abuilding, is situated and in which one sliding member is used. Fig. 2 isa plan corresponding to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, upon alarger scale, showing the spring device whereby the opening, closing,and locking link and lever parts of the device are elastically connectedto that part of the elevator inclosure adja' cent to which the doorbecomes situated when the said door is open. Fig. 4 is a verticalsection corresponding to Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section corresponding toFigs. 3 and 4 in all respects excepting that the spiral spring isdispensed with. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the box on a scalecorresponding to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, showing the opening therein and thelever partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, also theattachment and adjusting device of the lever within the box. Fig. 7 is ahorizontal section upon the line a (1, Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 8 is avertical section of the box, but wherein the lugs for fastening it tothe columns or grillwork of the elevator inclosure are shown at one sideof the box instead of in the front thereof, as in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and7. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the block, which is connected to oneedge of the sliding door andon which the manually-operated lever of thedevice is pivoted. Fig. 10 is a horizontal section on the line b b, Fig.9. Fig. 11 is an elevation, on the same enlarged scale as Fig. 9, of theprojection of the link, which holds an india-rubber pad which presses onthe lever when the opening and closing device is in the straighthorizontal position. Fig. 12 is a vertical section on the line a 12,,Figs. 1, 2, and 11, showing the construction of the joint at that part,whereby tightening and adjusted working thereof is easily effected whenany wear or tear thereof has taken place. Fig. 13 is a transversesection on the line 0 0, Fig. 11. Fig. 14 is a side elevation of thatend of the link of the opening and closing device which connects withthe box of the apparatus fastened into the framing or grillwork of theelevator inclosure. Fig. 15 is a transverse section on the line p p,Fig. 14, showing the ends of the screws each enterin into thecountersunk hole at each side of this fastened part of the link. Fig. 16is a plan corresponding to Fig. 11.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the main framing of the elevator inclosure is marked A,the sliding door B, and the fixed panel and grillwork of the oppositehalf of the elevator inclosure,

upon the inner face of which the door B is situated when opened, ismarked C. Upon 5 the door B and at a height convenient to the hand ofthe elevator cage or car attendant there is attached the pivot-carryingblock D, and to this block the lever E is movably fastened by the pivotb. The opposite end of the lever E is connected movably by the pivot cto the link F, the outer end of which link F is connected by theconically-pointed screws H and H to the bolt H contained within the boxG, which is fastened by bolts f to the interior of the column A, formingpart of the elevator inclosure, and all as shown at Figs. 1 and 2. Theconnection of the bolt H to the box G is a spring or elastic connection,the springiness or elasticity thereof being brought about by means of acoiled spiral spring H, through which the shank of the bolt H passes, asmore particularly shown in the enlarged views of this part of myapparatus at Figs. 3, 4, and 7. The outer end of the bolt H isconstructed with a screw-thread thereon, and upon this screwthread thecorresponding screw-nut is car ried, which upon being tightenedcompresses the spiral spring H to the extent necessary to hold the boltH and the link F connected thereto with the requisite degree of rigidityin the box G, while at the same time allowing the spring H to yieldwhenever the door B is moved into the open position. The link F, asshown at Figs. 1 and 2, while being movable on the pivot c, is extendedto a suflicient distance beyond the pivot c to constitute a stop whichmaintains the link F and lever E as a rigid horizontal bar when the linkF and lever E are in the horizontal position. (ShownatFigs.1and 2.)Thelocking is effected by the outwardly-projecting stop K of the link Fin its downward motion coming into contact with the upper edge of thelever E, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The stop K being fitted with a padof india-rubber or other analogous elastic material 0, Fig. 13, takes upby reason of its elasticity any blow which may occur on the lowering ofthe link F and lever E into the horizontal or locked position. The outerend of the lever E is formed with the thumb and finger piece L for theconvenient application of the thumb and finger when raising or lowering55 the lever E in the act of opening or closing the door B.

As shown enlarged to about its actual size at Figs. 3 and 4, the springattachment whereby the lever F in Figs. 1 and 2 is attached elasticallyto the framing or grillwork of an elevator inclosure consists of the boxG, formed with an upper and lower projection G and G respectively,through which holes 9 are made for the passing of bolts or screws forsecurely connecting the box G with the framing or grillwork of theelevator inclosure. Through the rear or back of this box (marked G inFigs. 3, 4, and 6) an opening is made through which the head portion ofthe bolt H passes, as more particularly shown in section in Fig. 4. Thehead, or that portion of this bolt H which is situated within the hollowof the box G, is constructed as having two eyepieces H and Hrespectively, as particularly shown at Figs. 6 and 7, between which theend of the lever F is situated and held in place therein by the twoconically-pointed screws H and H which pass through these screwed holesin the eyepieces H and H The conically-pointed screws H and H have ascrew-driver slot cut into the outer extremity o1 each, so that ascrew-driver having its screw-turning member at the side of the shank ofthe screwdriver can be passed into'sither side of the box G and insertedinto the slot of either screw H and H for the pur ose of turnin thescrew in the eyepieces {3 and H until the proper adjustment of theconical points of the screws H and H within the corresponding conicalholes in the end of the lever F is brought about, so as to insuresteady, smooth, and non shaking operation of the lever F upon the pivotsconstituted of the conical points of the screws H and H. Upon each ofthe screws H and H a locknut H and H respectively, is carried, so thatafter the screws H and H have been properly adjusted they are maintainedin their adjusted positions by applying a wrench to tighten the twolock-nuts H and H The outer end of the bolt H has a screw-thread outupon it, and upon this screw-thread the nut H is carried. A spiralspring H is also carried on that part of the bolt H situated between thebox G and the nut H, and by tightening the nut H to any required extentthe compression of the spring H is effected, so as to operateelastically when the act of opening or closing the door (shown at Figs.1 and 2 of the drawings) is terminated, thus cushioning any blow,percussion, or jar which may take place on the termination of either ofthese movements of the doors. Instead, however, of using the spiralspring H for the purpose of cushioning the blow due to the opening orclosing of the elevator inclosure doors the cushion effect may sometimesbe dispensed with. As shown at Fig. 5, wherein the bolt H has a shortershank than in Figs. 3 and 4 and is rigidly held in the rear part G ofthe box G by the screw-nut H When the box G cannot be convenientlyattached to the framing or grillwork of the elevator inclosure by meansof the up er and lower projections G and G at the gout of the box G, asshown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, then corresponding lugs are or may be placedat one of the lateral faces of the box G, as

shown in Fig. 8, in which case the screws or bolts are passed throughholes in theselateral lugs instead of through the holes g and g. (Shownin Fig. 6.)

As shown by the larger views, Figs. 9 and 10, the front end of the leverE in Figs. 1 and 2 is attached to the block B at the edge of theelevator-door by means of a screw K having a conical head, as shown moreespecially in section in Fig. 10. The shank of this screw K is passedinto the corresponding screw-hole in the part K and has a lock-nut K atthe inner end thereof. The object of placing the screw K with conicalhead and lock-nut K to retain the lever E at this point of connection ofthe lever E with the elevator door is to enable adjustment thereof to bemade and retained when any looseness of the lever E about the bolt 1)may take place by wear or tear, in which condition any looseness due tothis wear and tear is removed by turning the screw K by applying ascrewdriver in the slot of the head thereof and tightening the nut Kcorrespondingly. The outer end of the link F at Fig. 11 not only showsthe container K, having its india rubber cushion, as in contact with theupper edge of the lever E when the opening and closing and lockingdevice is in the horizontal position, but it also shows the outer end ofthe joint by which the lever E is connected to the link F, as shown atFigs. 1 and 2. A section of this joint on the line it n is shown at Fig.12, wherein the part marked E corre sponds to the part marked E in Fig.11, and the part marked F in Fig. 12 corresponds to the part marked F inFigs. 1 and 2. A washer E is situated between the parts E and F at thisjoint, so that the lever E and link F do not touch each other, but arekept apart by the washer E. Through the lever E and link F and thewasher E is a circular hole through which the screw E is passed. It willbe noticed that the screw E is constructed with a conical head and thata conical washer E is in the link F. By tightening the screw E" into thetapped hole in the washer E the conical head of the screw E and conicaledge of the washer E are dravm tightly together, so that the link andlever, respectively, are capable of being adjusted to any requireddegree of accurate fitting and movement together. For the purpose ofmaintaining the screw E the washer E the lever E, and link F in properoperative relationship a lock-nut E is applied to the outer end of thescrew E by which arrangement the operative parts of the joints arecapable at all times of being maintained in complete working conditionwithout looseness, shake, or noise.

I claim as my invention- 1. The device for opening, closing and locking,elevator-doors, consisting of the combination of a single sliding door,a lever pivoted at the edge of said sliding door and movably connectedto a link whose outer end is bent upward and pivotally connected to aholder fastened to the elevator inclosure in such manner that thesliding door is enabled when open to approximate closely to theconnection of the outer end of the link with the elevator inclosure, thelink having a rearward extension beyond its connection with theoperating-lever, the extension of said link having a stop projectingupward from its rearward end, said stop containing an elastic body forengaging with the upper edge of the operating-lever, so as to lock thesliding door, the operating-lever, the movable link and the elevatorinclosure when said lever and link are horizontal, substan tially ashereinbefore described.

2. The device for opening, closing and locking, elevator-doors,consisting of the combination of a single sliding door, a lever pivotedat the edge of said sliding door and movably connected to a link whoseouter end is bent upward and pivotally connected to a holder fastened tothe elevator inclosure in such manner that the sliding door is enabledwhen open to approximate closely to the connection of the outer end ofthe link with the elevator inclosure, the link having a rearwardextension beyond its connection with the operating-lever, the extensionof said link having a stop projecting upward from its rearward end, saidstop containing an elastic body for engaging with the upper edge of theoperating-lever so as to lock the sliding door, the operating-lever, themovable link when said lever and linkare horizontal, the pivotalconnection of the oper-- ating-lever with the sliding door, theconnection of the outer end of the operating lever with the link and thepivotal connection of the outer end of the link with the elevatorinclosure being all adjustable, sub stantially as hereinbeforedescribed.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOHN FRANOIs CONNELL, have hereunto setmy hand and seal, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, at LosAngeles aforesaid.

JOHN FRANCIS OONNELL. [1. 8.]

Witnesses:

ST. JOHN DAY, IDA M. DASKAM.

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